How to define success for the New Orleans Saints in 2024

What does success look like for the New Orleans Saints in 2024?

The Saints were 9-8 last year. It is the best record of Dennis Allen’s coaching career. Still, Allen has been projected to be on the hot seat and labelled the worst head coach in the NFL. His own players voted him lowly on an anonymous NFLPA survey. This all comes after the best season of his career with a 9-8 finish.

The Saints lost the tiebreaker for first place to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winning the division or making the playoffs would’ve made the season feel like a success.

I was forced to confront the idea of success in a conversation with a friend of mine after Amon-Ra St. Brown’s comments on the Saints’ Super Bowl aspirations. My friend, a Green Bay Packers fan, gave an approximate ceiling of a 9-8 finish. That shouldn’t be good enough.

I used his team as a reference. The Packers and Saints both had a 9-8 record, but they didn’t feel the same. The difference goes deeper than the Packers making the playoffs, though it does separate the two. It was here where I realized what the Saints must do for the year to be considered a success.

They must beat quality opponents. All records aren’t created equal. The Packers were 9-8 in the midst of a youth movement offensively and saw their first-year quarterback show potential. The Saints achieved the same record by struggling against nearly every quality opponent.

A division title will also make the year a success, but that is difficult if you only feast on bad teams. It was an obvious criticism of last year’s season and is a mandatory fix this campaign. If the Saints don’t accomplish this, they’ll be a disappointment again. It’s playoffs or bust after three years without a postseason appearance.

New Orleans must pair a good record with quality wins in 2024. Otherwise, the future will still feel bleak.